A small defect detection apparatus installed online in a glass sheet processing system includes a line scan camera, a background screen including contrasting elements arranged in a pre-defined pattern, an upstream conveyor and a downstream conveyor, wherein the upstream conveyor and downstream conveyor are positioned end-to-end, spaced apart by a selected size gap such that the camera may acquire multiple images of the background screen as the unsupported portion of the glass sheet is conveyed over the gap, and a computer programmed to execute logic for receiving the set of image data comprising multiple images of the background screen and identifying small defects in the glass from the data. The system may also include a glass sheet part identifier and a programmable control including logic for analyzing acquired image data and selecting an area of interest on the glass sheet for the analysis.